The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed the highest number of new hospitalizations reported in a day with 2,193 people currently hospitalized, surpassing Tuesday’s number.

Out of the 2,193 confirmed COVID-19 cases currently hospitalized, 26% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU and 17% are confirmed cases on ventilators.

The 3-day average for people hospitalized is 2,084.

This is more people hospitalized each day for COVID-19 than at any point during the pandemic.

Data show younger people between the ages of 18 and 40 years old are being hospitalized at a higher rate than seen before.

Public Health confirmed 2,758 new cases of COVID-19 and 44 new deaths due to the virus countywide.

At the beginning of June, the 7-day average of new cases was 1,452 cases. Now the 7-day average is 2,859 new cases a day.

This is double the rate from six weeks ago and higher than any point during this entire pandemic.

A total of 3,782 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the SCV have been reported to Public Health to date; the total includes 1,676 cases in the city of Santa Clarita.

Thirty-nine SCV residents have died since the pandemic began, and of them, 32 resided in the city of Santa Clarita, 2 in Acton, 1 in unincorporated Bouquet Canyon, 2 in Castaic, 1 in Val Verde, and 1 in unincorporated Valencia, according to Public Health records as of 8 p.m. Monday, July 13.

Countywide, Public Health is reporting 143,009 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 3,932 deaths to date. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions.

Statewide, the California Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed a total of 347,634 cases as of July 14 (up 11,126), with 7,227 deaths (up 140) from the disease.

There were 6,786 confirmed hospitalizations and 1,907 ICU hospitalizations in California.

As of July 14, local health departments have reported 18,187 confirmed positive cases in healthcare workers and 105 deaths statewide.

The 7-day average number of new cases in the state is now 8,309 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 8,116.

Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday Update
Of the 3,782 cases reported to Public Health for the SCV to date, the community breakdown is as follows:

City of Santa Clarita: 1,676

Castaic: 1,825 (includes Pitchess Detention Center and North County Correctional Facility*)

Stevenson Ranch: 87

Canyon Country (unincorporated portion): 58

Acton: 37

Val Verde: 33

Agua Dulce: 15

Valencia (unincorporated portion west of I-5): 26

Saugus (unincorporated portion): 11

Elizabeth Lake: 5

Newhall (Unincorporated portion): 4

Sand Canyon: 2

Bouquet Canyon: 1

Lake Hughes: 1

Saugus/Canyon Country: 1

*Note: The county is unable to break out separate numbers for Castaic and PDC/NCCF because the county uses geotagging software that cannot be changed at this time, according to officials. Click here for the LASD COVID-19 dashboard.

Henry Mayo Wednesday Update
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital reported its 15th COVID-related death on Monday, July 13, according to Patrick Moody, hospital spokesman.

As of Wednesday, of the 4,482 people tested at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital to date, 495 tested positive, 4,201 were negative, 458 were pending, 23 patients were hospitalized in a dedicated unit receiving ICU-level care (up from 15 a week ago) and a total of 140 COVID-19 patients have been discharged so far, Moody said.

Discrepancies in the testing numbers are due to some patients being tested multiple times. “Often a single patient is tested more than once,” Moody said.

The hospital is now releasing numbers on a weekly basis (Wednesdays) unless there is a drastic change in the number of cases or a death has been confirmed.

Ferrer: L.A. County in an ‘Alarming and Dangerous Phase’
“We are in an alarming and dangerous phase in this pandemic here in Los Angeles County, along with other counties in this state,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

“We need to protect the capacity in our healthcare system so that we’re all able to access critical care if we need it,” Ferrer said. “Everyone must help. Business owners and operators have a responsibility to their employees and their families to provide a safe work environment that adheres to all of the health officer directives — this responsibility is important, now more than ever, as we continue our response to this deadly virus.”

L.A. County Demographics, Testing
“To the families that are mourning their loved one who has passed away from COVID-19, we mourn with you,” Ferrer said.

Of the 44 new deaths, 27 people who died were over the age of 65 years old, 13 people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Thirty-four people had underlying health conditions including 25 people over the age of 65 years old, eight people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and one person between the ages of 18 to 40 years old.

Two deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and one death was reported by the city of Pasadena.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,598 people (98 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 45% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 26% among White residents, 16% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 2% among residents identifying with other races.

Upon further investigation, 56 cases and six deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Data continues to expose disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data. African American/Black and Latino/Latinx people are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to White people.

Communities with high levels of poverty are four times as likely to die of COVID-19 compared to residents with the highest income.

The high rates of cases and deaths reflect a number of factors, including the effects of systemic racism and discrimination in the Country and a lack of access to the resources and opportunities needed for good health.

Testing results are available for more than 1,409,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

July 13 Health Order Modifications
Public Health modified its Health Officer Order to align with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directives to prevent more cases, more serious illnesses, increased hospitalizations and more deaths.

The Order requires the closure of the following sectors for all indoor operations:

* Gyms and Fitness Centers

* Places of Worship

* Indoor Protests

* Offices for Non-Critical Infrastructure Sectors as identified at covid19.ca.gov

* Personal Care Services(including nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo parlors)

* Hair Salons and Barbershops

* Indoor Malls

Bars, indoor dining at restaurants, indoor museums, indoor operations at zoos and aquariums, and cardrooms and satellite wagering facilities remain closed and all events and gatherings unless specifically allowed by this Order remain prohibited.

Business owners and residents must take immediate action in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Stay home if you are elderly or have serious underlying health conditions. Everyone else should stay home as much as possible, and limit activities outside of your home to what is essential – work, getting groceries and medicine, and medical visits.

Always wear a face covering and keep physical distance when you are outside your home and wash your hands frequently. The actions of everyone to slow the spread cannot wait.

Best Protections
The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household.

Everyone must always wear a face covering securely over your nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household when out and about.

Businesses must continue to follow Public Health directives. It is the collective responsibility shared between everyone including businesses and residents to slow the spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities and save lives.

L.A. County Public Health’s Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

July 13 Reopenings Rollback
A total of 31 counties including Los Angeles and Ventura are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the state’s July 13 order to slow community transmission.

See the complete list of counties here.

County Monitoring Data
California is using data and science to respond to COVID-19. Data by county gives Californians insight into how their county is doing and provides an early indication of developing areas of concern. Counties on the County Monitoring List for three or more consecutive days – currently 32 counties accounting for 80 percent of the state’s population – must close indoor operations for additional activities.

For more information, visit the County Data Monitoring webpage.

Here’s the L.A. County incident update for Wednesday, July 15:

[Open .pdf in new window]

California Testing
There have been 5,793,276 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 118,321 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the 25 state and county health labs currently testing.

More than 85 community testing sites also offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

California Demographics
Overall, for adults 18 and older, Latinos, African Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels.

The proportion of COVID-19 deaths in African Americans is more than one-and-a-half times their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but almost double between the proportion of COVID-19 deaths and their population representation.

More males are dying from COVID-19 than females, in line with national trends.

More information is available at COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data.

Protect Yourself and Your Family
Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:

* Staying home except for essential needs/activities following local and state public health guidelines when patronizing approved businesses. To the extent that sectors are re-opened, Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments or activities.

* Practicing social distancing

* Wearing a cloth face mask when out in public

* Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds

* Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands

* Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward

* Avoiding close contact with people who are sick

* Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough

* Following guidance from public health officials

What to Do if You Think You’re Sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath), call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken. More than 85 community testing sites also offer free, confidential testing: Find a COVID-19 Testing Site.

California COVID-19 Data Portal
The state’s data portal at COVID-19 Statewide Update tracks COVID-19 cases statewide and by county, gender, age and ethnicity. The portal also outlines statewide hospitalizations and testing efforts. The data presented on the portal is updated daily and includes additional information as it is available.

For more information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California.

Consolidated guidance is available on the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance webpage.

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

* Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

* California Department of Public Health

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

* Spanish

* World Health Organization

L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1.